This invention relates to dispensers from which can be poured or shaken, in sequence, one or more tablets, for example artificial sweeteners, vitamin pills or the like.
Our UK patent No. 2258456 discloses a dispenser of this type which includes a moulded, upwardly open container integrally formed around the upper circumference of which are a plurality of flexible tabs defining gaps therebetween, and a lid which is a snap-fit on the container whereby the tabs are encased by the lid and underlie the inner surface of the lid.
The lid has an aperture therein, and is rotatable on the container between a closed position in which the aperture overlies a tab, and an open position in which the aperture is aligned with a gap between two adjacent tabs and a tablet can be dispensed therefrom.
Movement of the lid between the open and closed positions is effected by gripping the lid with the fingers and rotating the lid on the container. Such gripping can pose difficulties to the elderly or infirm who may have, for example, arthritis in their fingers. In such circumstances, it may be preferable for movement of the lid to be able to be achieved by the palm of a hand, for example by pressing and turning at the same time.
There is a need for tablet dispensers, particularly those for dispensing medicinal tablets such as aspirins, paracetamol or the like, to be child resistant whereby dispensing of a tablet is at least difficult for a child to achieve.
According to the present invention there is provided a tablet dispenser comprising a moulded, upwardly-open body portion of generally circular cross-section, a plurality of flexible, circumferentially spaced tabs integrally moulded with the body portion around the upper end thereof to extend upwardly therefrom whereby gaps are defined between adjacent tabs, a lid portion located on the upper end of the body portion to encase the tabs whereby the tabs underlie the inner surface of the lid portion, the lid portion having an aperture formed therethrough, and co-operating locations means on the body portion and the lid portion so positioned that, on initial assembly of the dispenser, the lid portion is located on the body portion with the aperture in the lid portion overlying a tab to define a closed position of the dispenser, the lid portion being rotatable relative to the body portion from said closed position to an open position in which the aperture in the lid portion is aligned with a gap between two adjacent tabs, characterised in that resilient means react between the body portion and the lid portion such that, to enable relative rotation of the lid portion on the body portion from the closed position to the open position, it is first of all necessary to depress the lid portion against the bias of the resilient means to release the lid portion into a position whereby it can be rotated to the open position, and further characterised in that the co-operating location means comprise, on one of the outer surface of the upper regions of the body portion and the inner surface of the lower regions of the lid portion, a plurality of circumferentially spaced first projections, one for each tab, each projection having a surface thereto extending at an acute angle to the longitudinal central axis of the body portion, and, on the other of the outer surface of the upper regions of the body portion and the inner surface of the lower regions of the lid portion, at least one second projection having a surface thereto at an angle corresponding to that of the surface on the first projections whereby, on initial assembly of the dispenser, the angled surfaces of the first and second projections abut one another and guide the lid portion to a closed position on the body portion, the first and second projections, in the closed position of the dispenser, being circumferentially aligned and abutting one another to prevent relative rotation between the lid portion and the body portion.
It will thus be appreciated that the necessity for downward movement of the lid portion prior to rotation thereof constitutes an effective child resistant feature to the dispenser, and also enables elderly or infirm persons to achieve opening of the dispenser without the need for finger grippingxe2x80x94opening can be achieved by pressing and turning with the palm of the hand which is likely to cause less difficulty to an arthritic user than finger gripping.
Preferably the resilient means comprise a plurality of circumferentially spaced spring legs integrally moulded with the upper regions of the body portion, the arrangement being such that, with the dispenser in its closed position, the spring legs react against a rim internally of the lid portion to align circumferentially the first and second projections to prevent relative rotation therebetween, depression of the lid portion against the bias of the spring legs displacing the projection or projections thereon below those on the body portion to permit relative rotation between the lid portion and the body portion.
In the open position of the dispenser, the projections on the lid portion and the body portion are longitudinally aligned, the resilient means, on release of the lid portion, urging aligned projections into engagement with one another, it being preferred that the abutting surfaces of the projections are configured to interlock with one another positively to define said open position of the dispenser.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the aperture in the lid portion is closed by a disc integrally moulded with the lid portion and attached thereto by a region of weakness, for example a circumferential strip of thinner material, which can be broken to release the disc from the aperture and open the aperture for dispensing purposes.
It will be appreciated that such an arrangement provides effective visual evidence of any tampering with the dispenser that may have occurred prior to authorised use thereof, in that, if the disc has been removed or otherwise displaced from its position within the aperture, the contents of the dispenser may already have been sampled.